Complexity Stays Perfect with Easy Victory in G1 Champagne

by New York Racing Association Press Release

October 6, 2018

ELMONT, N.Y. - Klaravich Stables' Complexity built on his stellar debut and earned a trip to Breeders' Cup in the process, going gate to wire to post a three-length victory in the 147th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne for 2-year-olds on Saturday as part of the October Festival of Racing at Belmont Park.

Jockey Jose Ortiz sent Complexity to the front, where he led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 22.51 seconds and the half in 45.31 on the fast main track. Ortiz continued to urge Complexity out of the turn, where he geared down and outkicked Code of Honor, completing one mile in a final time of 1:34.63.

The last of four stakes on a loaded card, the Champagne win earned Complexity a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 2 at Churchill Downs. The Maclean's Music colt also earned 10 points towards the 2019 Kentucky Derby for trainer Chad Brown.

"He's just so strong. An outstanding talent. He's just a rare horse," Brown said. "Obviously, we're going to the Breeders' Cup if he comes back sound and healthy. We'll try and run two turns, which will be another question mark. It's another sixteenth of a mile, but he's a class horse. Jose gets along with him well, and hopefully he'll get a good trip in [that] race."

"We have to talk about him now. He won a Grade 1 with the best 2-year-olds we have in New York, and now we have to go compete in the Breeders' Cup with the ones in California and Kentucky and everywhere else," said Ortiz, who won four races total on the day, including aboard Brown trainee Wow Cat in the Grade 1, $400,000 Beldame in Race 8. "The way he did it was very easy and we're happy with his performance.

Complexity, purchased for $375,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, was coming into his first stakes start off a 4 ½-length win at six furlongs on September 3 at Saratoga Race Course. The 5-2 favorite returned $7 on a $2 win wager and added his name to an illustrious list of Champagne winners that includes Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Count Fleet as well as fellow Hall of Famers Alydar, Spectacular Bid, Easy Goer, Riva Ridge and Buckpasser, among others.

"We always knew he was nice," Ortiz said. "The only question was whether he could stretch out to a mile and he proved that he could. Now, we have to stretch him out to a mile and a sixteenth.

"I've been working him all summer in Saratoga, It's very special when you've been working with them and they come out and do this."

Code of Honor, making his stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, finished three lengths clear for second. Under jockey Eric Cancel, Code of Honor rallied from last after a difficult start.

"At the break, as soon as he left the gate he stumbled pretty bad coming out of there. I had to go to Plan B," Cancel said. "I had to sit on the horse and just try to get him comfortable and make one move. The horse ran awesome to honest. He gave me his all. He kept on going and we just couldn't run down the winner, but he never stopped. He kept on trying and trying."

Call Paul edged Brown trainee Aurelius Maximus by a nose for third. As part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series, the top four finishers were awarded a points distribution of 10-4-2-1 towards the 2019 Run for the Roses.

You May Also Like

12.1.2018

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Patternrecognition continued a winning trend by notching his third victory in succession with a powerful front-running performance to capture the 30th renewal of the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Chad Brown for owners Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, the 5-year-old Patternrecognition was making just the second stakes start of his career, fresh off a one-length score in the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park, and demonstrated a considerable amount of class to best a talented eight-horse field that included Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn and the upwardly mobile Copper Town. Sent to post at odds of 5-1 under Jose Ortiz, who celebrated the birth of his second child, Derek, in the early hours of Saturday morning, Patternrecognition fired out of the gate and assumed command through splits of 22.88 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and a half-mile in a sharp 45.68 under pressure from Pat On the Back. Mendelssohn, with Ryan Moore up from the inside post, tracked from third position just inside of True Timber as three-quarters passed in 1:09.68. Pat On the Back was asked for more into the final turn as True Timber launched his bid with Copper Town, who was compromised leaving the gate after Stan the Man stumbled, following their lead. However, Patternrecognition, traveling smoothly throughout, continued to find more, improving his lead to a 1 1/2 length advantage at the top of the lane. True Timber battled bravely to the wire with Sunny Ridge finding his best stride late up the wood, but there was no catching Patternrecognition who earned a three-quarters of a length win in a final time of 1:34.98. True Timber completed the exacta, a length in front of Sunny Ridge. Mendelssohn, the 8-5 mutuel favorite, stayed on for fourth. Stan the Man, Timeline and Copper Town completed the order of finish.Patternrecognition, by Adios Charlie, was a $420,000 purchase at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sale. He made his belated debut a winning one in April of his 4-year-old season and has proven to be worth the wait for his connections."Obviously, he's had some soundness issues along the way and I want to thank the owners as well, Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence, for never giving up on this horse," said Brown, who captured the 2016 Cigar Mile with Connect. "He needed the time and they gave him the time to always get healthy when we needed to rest the horse. Ultimately, he showed the talent that we thought he had when they bought him what seems like forever ago as a 2-year-old and this is really a great moment for this horse. He deserves it."Because he's had so many interruptions in his schedule, I was always trying to bridge him to a longer race off a sprint and it was always hard to get there because he always had a setback," continued Brown. "Finally, he got very sound, to where I could train him consistently and get him out to that mile distance where his father [Adios Charlie] was very effective, as well. This horse is a rare horse. He's got that speed and he can carry it. I'm very proud of the judgment Jose used today. I left it up to him and the fractions concerned me a touch, but this horse showed his heart."Ortiz, who was winning the Cigar Mile for the first time, said he made a snap judgment to take the lead with Patternrecognition."He broke out of there very sharply. The way he broke, I didn't want to give the lead away, so I used my own judgment and took a shot and went straight to the rail and took the lead," said Ortiz. "He got pressured pretty good. I took a big risk because those weren't the instructions, but it worked out."True Timber, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin for Calumet Farm, was impressive in making his Grade 1 debut fresh off a good second in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap."We're very happy with the way he ran and how everything went," said McLaughlin. "We were pleasantly surprised. That was a great effort, so we have options going forward."Mendelssohn, trained by Aidan O'Brien, arrived at the Cigar Mile in search of his first Grade 1 win on dirt. The well-bred son of Scat Daddy, a half-brother to champion mare Beholder and leading sire Into Mischief, captured the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to complete his 2-year-old campaign and was among the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby after romping to a 18 ½-length score in the Group 2 UAE Derby in March. A troubled trip saw Mendelssohn finish last of 20 in the Run for the Roses, but the colt redeemed himself over the summer with on-the-board efforts in the Grade 3 Dwyer when third, the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers when second and a strong third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. The talented bay was turning back in distance in the Cigar Mile from a fifth-place run in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic."I kind of think nothing has really gone his way at all, all year. We'll see what the plan is," said Moore. "I think there's more in there at some point. I don't think [the kickback] affected him. I was just seeing what happens [out of the gate]. If no one was going, then we'd go to the lead, but I was happy. We had a nice run, really."Patternrecognition, bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, banked $433,125 in victory while improving his record to five wins and five seconds from 11 career starts. He paid $12.80 to win.

10.7.2018

ELMONT, N.Y. - The fourth time was the charm for Fourstar Crook on Saturday at Belmont Park, finally nabbing the Grade 1 that has eluded her with a last-to-first victory over stablemate Onthemoonagain in the $500,000 Flower Bowl to punch her ticket to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. It was the first Grade 1 for the 6-year-old Freud mare following three near misses in the last 12 months, with a third in the E.P. Taylor last fall, and a pair of seconds to fellow Brown trainee Sistercharlie in the Jenny Wiley and Beverly D. this spring and summer. Fourstar Crook got away from the gate under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and settled at the back of the pack as Feeling Bossy led the field of seven through an opening quarter-mile in 25.71. The leader began to pull away after an easy half in 51.72, while Onthemoonagain began to advance through the field up the backstretch, moving into second as six furlongs went in 1:15.80. Onthemoonagain, ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, grabbed the lead with a three-wide move at the top of the stretch, but all eyes were on Fourstar Crook, beginning her rally from the back. Ortiz directed his charge into the clear and Fourstar Crook responded with a sustained rally to sweep past her stablemate at the sixteenth pole for a two-length win. Grade 2 Glens Falls winner Lady Montdore was another 4 ¾ lengths back in third. Danceland, Feeling Bossy, Tricky Escape, and Holy Helena completed the order of finish. The final time for 1 ¼ miles on the inner turf course listed as good was 2:03.28. Fourstar Crook, favored at 4-5, returned $3.60 for a $2 win wager. "She flew home," said Ortiz. "She was going so comfortable and when I asked, she just exploded." Winner of the Grade 2 New York and Grade 2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs this spring, Fourstar Crook improved her record to 12-4-1 from 19 starts and boosted her lifetime earnings to $1,604,566. It was the fifth Flower Bowl win for trainer Chad Brown, who campaigns Fourstar Crook for Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stable, and Gary Aisquith.
"This horse ran super," said Brown. "We expected a short field and that the pace wouldn't be that strong, and it wasn't, but she was able to overcome it. She's a really consistent horse and she particularly likes Belmont. She ran to her odds. She seemed very deserving to finally win a Grade 1. When you look at who she's beaten when she's not in Grade 1s, and who she's lost to by short margins, this filly is very deserving to finally achieve that and remarkable at age six."